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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · row · stock · saw · rush · fine · ruler · field

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — goods
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — farmland
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. field — a subject
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. court — of a king
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. row — a line
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. field — for sport
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com